Starry Sky Ranch

and Happy Anniversary to you too, my love

Happy Anniversary

I love you.  Can't wait for our date tonight!  Your hubby...

At the water's edge

We learned that Eleven Mile Reservoir is aptly named.  There is a loooong dirt road leading up to the water.  Eleven miles long.  Go figure. ; )   This is probably one of the largest bodies of water we have visited in Colorado. 

We drove along the shoreline to find a spot for lunch.  

Finding a place that a fisherman had not found first was no easy task.  With so many people fishing there was a  hush over the place. At least until our crew clamored down to the water's edge. ; o

Allen and Abbie taking up life guard duty....

For me, it was terribly exciting to see shore birds again. There are some things we go a long time without seeing on the prairie. 

Before long the children shed their shoes.

Though it was still cold in the mountains they waded happily, soaked and smiling when we finally pulled them out. 

Even the girls, who were less than thrilled to sit in the car the long miles it took to get there, were won over by the water once we got there.

"Along with milk and vegetables, kids need a steady diet of rocks and worms
Rocks need skipping.
Holes need digging.
Water needs splashing.
Bugs and frogs and slimy stuff need finding"   - Go RV-ing

The Virtue of Silence for the teacher

At first glance it may seem contrary to speak about silence as a virtue for the teacher.  Several times this past week I have run across articles insisting this very thing however.  The first was in an essay by Brother Agathon,  The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher.  Reflecting upon St. Benedict's counsel to avoid letting our words come rushing out, but rather to speak true and weighty words, he says:

Silence is a virtue which leads the teacher to avoid talking when he must not speak and to 

speak when he should not be silent. 

 This virtue, therefore, includes two functions.  It teaches the art of being silent, and that 

of speaking opportunely.  Thus, it causes one to avoid two opposite defects which it condemns: 

taciturnity and loquacity. 

...experience shows that the teachers who talk a lot are hardly listened to, and 

that little account is taken of what they say.  But if they speak rarely and to the point, the 

students pay attention to what they are told, like it, remember it, and profit by it."

Many years later Charlotte Mason gave similar advice to the home-teaching mother:

"The Mother must refrain from too much Talk.––Does so wide a programme alarm the mother? Does she with dismay see herself talking through the whole of those five or six hours, and, even at that, not getting through a tithe of the teaching laid out for her? On the contrary, the less she says the better; and as for the quantity of educational work to be got through, it is the fable of the anxious pendulum over again: it is true there are countless 'ticks' to be ticked, but there will be always be a second of time to tick in, and no more than a single tick is to be delivered in any given second.

...The mother's real difficulty will be to keep herself from much talk with the children, and to hinder them from occupying themselves with her. There are few things sweeter and more precious to the child than playful prattle with her mother; but one thing is better––the communing with the larger Mother, in order to which the child and she should be left to themselves. This is, truly, a delightful thing to watch: the mother reads her book or knits her sock, checking all attempts to make talk; the child stares up into a tree, or down into a flower––doing nothing, thinking of nothing; or leads a bird's life among the branches, or capers about in aimless ecstasy;––quite foolish, irrational doings, but, all the time a fashioning is going on: Nature is doing her part..." (quoted here)

This same sentiment leads Kolbe Academy to say:

Insistence upon self~activity should be directed toward forming in the student the habit of independent study and reading directed toward interest in scholarly pursuits. 

Instead of alienating the student from the teacher silence and self-activity instead contribute to "a cooperative effort" between the two. 

Our goal is not to abandon the child but to allow him the joy of discovery born from ruminating on a subject. We should discuss, yes, but not lecture. As Jessica Hulcy of Konos has said, every homeschool mother needs two things - a gag and a set of handcuffs, not for the children but for herself.  It is tempting when teaching to view oneself as the font of all wisdom.  More is caught than taught however and our students benefit more when we introduce them to facts and ideas and then step aside to let that wisdom work its magic than when we talk them to death. We must weigh our words and be certain they are likely to contribute to understanding rather than muddy the waters with chatter. 

“Talking comes by nature, silence by wisdom."

retro decor gallery

Plan 59 has gathered pages of original home interior illustrations from the 40's through the 60's.  Funny how pictures can take you back.  

wow

Dear children,

Consider this my resignation.   Henceforth you will be going to school in this breathtakingly gorgeous environment.   Please do not bring home pictures to show your father.  I may never be able live it down!  

Signed, 

Your loving, yet far less organized mother

Jennifer if you think a half dozen extra students might be too much, would it be ok if I just came alone to sit in your schoolroom for a while?   

Sigh.  

It is beyond words.  Brava!  

Remember Always

1. Do not commit a sin for all there is in the world, or any deliberate venial sin, or any known imperfection.

2. Endeavor to remain always in the presence of God, either real, imaginative, or unitive insofar as is permitted by your works.  

3. Neither do anything nor say any notable word that Christ would not have done or said were he in the state I am, as old as I, and with the same kind of health.   

4. Strive for the greater honor and glory of God in all things.

5. Do not omit mental prayer for any occupation, for it is the sustenance of your soul.

6. Do not omit examination of conscience because of any of your occupations, and for every fault do some penance.

7. Be deeply sorry for any time that is lost or that passes without your loving God. 8. In all things, both high and low, let God be your goal, for in no other way will you grow in merit and perfection.

9. Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.

10. In heaven and on earth, always the lowest and last place and office.

11. Never interfere in what you are not ordered to do, or be obstinate about anything, even though you may be right. And if, as the saying goes, they give you an inch, do not take a mile. Some deceive themselves in such matters and think they have an obligation to do that which - if they reflect upon it well - in no way obliges them.

12. Pay no attention to the affairs of others, whether they be good or bad, for besides the danger of sin, this is a cause of distractions and lack of spirit.

13. Strive always to confess your sins with a deep knowledge of your own wretchedness and with clarity and purity.

14. Even though your obligations and duties are difficult and disagreeable to you, you should not become dismayed, for this will not always be so. And God, who proves the soul by a precept under the guise of a trial [Ps.94:20], will after a time accord it the experience of blessing and gain.

15. Remember always that everything that happens to you, whether prosperous or adverse, comes from God, so that you become neither puffed up in prosperity nor discouraged in adversity.

16. Remember always that you came here for no other reason than to be a saint; thus let nothing reign in your soul that does not lead you to sanctity.

17. Always be more disposed toward giving to others than giving to yourself, and thus you will not be envious of or selfish toward your neighbor. This is to be understood from the viewpoint of perfection, for God is angered with those who do not give precedence to his good pleasure over that of humans.    - St. John of the Cross

hiking to the reservoir

They are much to be pitied who have not been given a taste for nature early in life. - Jane Austen

There is a great trailhead on the west side of town heading up to small reservoir.  The day we ventured up to it was pretty drizzly but that also kept things cool and comfortable.   And, hey, when you are a kid a little mud just amps things up a bit. 

Unless you are Tess, in which case mud might just wig you out enough to require frequent stops, vocal protests, and occasional piggy back rides to regain composure. 

She was eventually convinced that the earth was not going to swallow her up and in fact there was no shortage of fascinating things happening all around here.  Like looking down into a puddle and seeing the sky.  

As evidenced by the little boys' backsides, they too found the puddles <g>

Abbie has been a trooper.  She is an outdoorsy baby for sure.  She loves the backpack, though the backpack does not love Allen.  We are in the market for a better pack, should you have any suggestions. 

Hummingbirds are more plentiful in the foothills. I am not terribly fond of hummingbirds to be honest but it was cool to catch a glimpse of one sitting still.  It was actually easier to get a shot of the bird than a shot of the boys....

There's a boy!  

I hope you all are so busy outside you have no time to read this!  : ) 

FHC shoot

I was pleased to be able to take some First Holy Communion pics for a good friend's daughter a few weeks ago.  It was a fantastic learning experience for me.  We fought the sun and learned the value of filters and reflectors - or at least the need for them.  She was a very good sport though and looked so pretty in her dress and veil.  

down by the riverside

It seems life happens at the twice the speed of blogging anymore.  Summer has not been without its challenges but we have been squeezing every bit of joy out of it we can.   In June that involved a riverside campsite.  Who knew the Arkansas ran so swiftly?  Necessitated hyper-vigilant supervision but it was gorgeous. 

one hazy morning looking out from the campsite:

We tried our hands at fishing.  Fishing, we learned, is not as easy as it seems.  The blasted lines kept getting tangled. It just fueled their desire to try again though.  Darn homeschool kids - they never give up. <g>

The river was home to this family of geese who were just as pleased to find the children as the children were to find them once they discovered how many crumbs the kids produce at mealtime.  

Tess and Brendan watching the river roll by from the camper door.  Doesn't get much better than this!